BTS Fashion Show

It was fun, Tyler opted out because he wanted his friend (who-is-a-girl) next door to come and it was just too late, so he was protesting. You can tell who had the most fun. My little runway girl, Lily. She LOVES to pose and get her sassy on! I think Brooklyn might have felt too old and just had fun with Ava, who got into it just as much as the girls. Only she wore dress up clothes. Even better. ;) It was a blast!

Seacrest Beach 2012

We cannot get enough of 30a. The road that spands the many beaches of South Walton. Our second trip to the Emerald Coast was spectacular! We stayed in the same village as last time, with access to the largest pool in northern Florida. We alternated between beach, pool, and a few extra day trips. We explored Shell Island, hoping to find amazing Shells and a glimpse of bottle nosed dolphins on the ferry ride. We spent a fun day at Wonder Works experimenting with science and art. We walked the picturesque town of Rosemerry Beach and stopped at the Sugar Shak for sno cones. The kids played on the giant slip'n slide complete with water from the fire truck. We enjoyed a gorgeous sunset, tasted the famous pizza of Pizza by the Sea, and walked up and down the beautiful Alys Beach at dusk. We played the games at the Baytowne Wharf in Sandestin where Tyler got to ride a zip line. Jeff had a surprise reunion with a missionary he served with in Spain. It was such great fun I'm sure we'll be back!

Dance Recital 2012

Lily's recital was precious. She did a sweet ballet number and a fun tap one. She was lucky enough to have her 1st grade teacher in the audience. What a treat that was for Lily! Glitter flowers picked out by Dad made her the happiest girl alive! She has such a faniful imagination...She said, "What if my teacher throws flowers on the stage for me?" And I know she was serious... she is such a little butterfly. So full of beauty and life!

Catching up to Summer of 2012

We had a busy end of school year with lots of concerts, ceremonies, a musical bee (which was AWESOME), parties, and with a big sigh of relief from mom, the ending of the after school activities... (finally I have my evenings to myself again.:) Recently a photographer told me she would love to photograph Brooklyn and I chuckled and told her how hard it was to get her to smile when she was little, we practically did a circus with not even a crack from her. She said Brooklyn had such an interesting pout, she is very observant! Here it is. This is Brooklyn celebrating the Rockin' Future after 5th grade appreciation. It was rock star themed complete with the 5th grade teachers performing a rock band skit! She loved it!!! I made this banner for the kids to run through when they came home on the last day of school, they thought it was dumb at first and then got into it. Dang, they are almost too old for stuff like this... I had to get a shot of Brooklyn with her friends Katelyn and Samantha, who live on our street, right after their last day of elementary school. sniff, sniff... I am tearing up about this. Can I say Foxy Lady? She is a looker. She thought she looked very fancy with all that make up on... more on the dance recital later. I opted out of the cheesy photo package from the dance studio (which would have cost me 100's of $), to take my own, she did not disappoinmt. She is born to smile and pose! This was an especially hard school year for me to let go of. My kids will never be in the same school, at the same time again...Brooklyn heads to middle school while Ty and Lil finish up Elementary. They are growing up way too fast. o

Oh La La!!!

We had a fun evening celebrating Brooklyn's birthday in a Paris cafe. We had made to order crepes, invented our own all natural lip glosses, watched a movie, cupcakes, got dolled up with fun boutique like headbands, and of course, jumped on the trampoline. It was fun to have her girl friends over and celebrate Brooklyn turning 11. She is such an amazing girl, I don't know how we got so lucky. She is the most unbelievable help with Ava. I'm pretty positive Ava thinks Brooklyn is another mom. She calls her La La and she reaches for her about as much as she reaches for me. Somtimes I can't calm her down, but Brooklyn can... I love Brooklyn! She thinks outside of the box, she is not afraid to try new things. She has a beautiful smile! She is friends with everyone, literally. She is talented---great with her upright bass,thoughtful and kind, so so sweet. Respectful to others.

Quiet in a way that makes her easy. Quiet doesn't mean unopinionated though...:) She is also strong willed, which is good for a girl! So smart. Loves to read, can't wait for her to read all my favorite classics! She is a dream daughter!!! We adore her!

Wonderland Party

I am embarrassed to admit, it's been a few months. The reason prompting me to post this belated party is the upcoming birthday of Brooklyn. Basically, I'm cleaning house (meaning the 500 pictures on my camera that need to be uploaded before Brooklyn's little school musical tonight...) Lily had a charming little gathering, complete with a spread of treats

even Alice would have been delighted with. Lily wore her Alice costume from Halloween and I was glad to get more use out of it after sewing it. Actually, I made the pinafore for Brooklyn's dance recital last year, so we're going on 3x a charm. Maybe with Ava I can use it again.

There was "kind of" a croquet game, "the queen says", a flamingo pinata, and little girls! I sent them home with a copy of the book Alice in Wonderland and called it good.

BIG girl!

yes, She is a big girl now! Independent in every way! Even more so than any of our other children. We get loads of comments from strangers in public about how "independent, and spirited she is." That's a nice way of saying, "Get your kid under control!" :) Not that I mind anymore. I'd rather have the kid with all the personality, and I'm sure it will benefit her later in life! She is a charmer. I can't believe how fast she is growing. She will be in nursery here in 2 months.